Forgotten Ties
by priss-chan
Summary: A young boy from Priss' past comes to surprise everyone while Priss is having relationship problems with everyone
1. Surprise

The year 2040: The AD Police were all transferred to deal with boomer related crimes in other areas of Japan while Tokyo was rebuilt. But now they've started to rebuild the AD Police, calling back the old officers and building a new totem pole. This is to deal not with rogue boomers, but with the new software available on the black market that makes it so a child could reprogram a construction or office boomer to do anything (boomers are back in use in Tokyo, Genom is still producing them, they managed to wriggle out of any guilty position). They are now being used in all kinds of crimes and both the AD Police and the Knight Sabers are really straining to keep it under control.  
  
Chapter 1: Surprise  
  
The off duty AD Police officer took a sip of his beer as he watched the singer performing on stage. She was so involved with her song, he just couldn't look away. He had missed watching her sing, missed watching her. He sighed and took another sip, wondering how happy she would be to see him.  
  
The singer closed her eyes as she finished her song, she always felt so good and so strong, singing was her true passion. As she opened her eyes again to look out at the crowd before walking offstage she caught sight of a familiar face sitting by the bar. She hadn't seen that face in a long time, but she was sure it was him. A welter of conflicting emotions grappled within her as old memories came back to her, some painful, some not. Mostly painful. She turned to go before he noticed he looking at him (naturally it was too late) and went backstage with the rest of her band. She sat down and thought about what she should do, why he was even here, how she should act towards him or if she should leave now and forget about it. The rest of her band looked at her curiously, usually after a performance she would shoot off, they had never seen her this deep in thought when she wasn't composing.  
  
Leon looked up as he heard someone sitting down in the stool next to him. "I haven't seen you around for a while," a husky, feminine voice said calmly. "What happened to you?" "You know I was transferred," he replied shortly, nervous about his first conversation with Priss in almost seven years. "I mean after that," she said with a hint of irritation in her voice, "you never came back." she sounded almost hurt, but was doing a good job of hiding it. "I got - tied up with commitments," he said, thinking of how to phrase it. She would have to find out sometime if they stayed in contact, but now wasn't the right time. Priss nodded her head in understanding and took a large gulp of the vodka martini the barkeep had just handed to her.  
  
"Are you here for good then, I know they're rebuilding the totem pole," she said, still not looking directly at him. "Yup" was his response, "I would never pass up the chance to get back in the ADP and out of the normal police." he sounded slightly more excited, he had been so happy when he found out they were recalling old ADP officers to deal with the boomers being used in crimes. "How've you been doing?" he asked her, trying to keep the conversation neutral. "OK" she said, not really wanting to go into any detail about her life, especially since nothing had really changed. "Sign, fight boomers, the usual."  
  
"Good." he said, almost surprised nothing had happened to her, but not surprised at the same time. She stood up abruptly, going to leave. Not wanting her to get away again, Leon followed her, asking where she was going. "I just remembered, I have to get home," Priss said as she walked out of the door of Hot Legs. "Let me walk you," Leon said, almost pleading. It was painful being with her after they had broke up so suddenly after the Galatea crisis with him being transferred and her being mildly traumatized by the entire experience, but he still didn't want to let her go. She stopped and looked at him for a moment, standing very close, then nodded and turned to go slowly.  
  
"There's something you should know," she said, breaking the silence. "Oh?" Leon suddenly became interested. "There's someone following us." Leon's eyes widened in surprise and he resisted the urge to spin around and look behind. "How do you know?" he asked quietly, wondering how she could be that calm and nonchalant. But then this was Priss. "He's been stalking me for a few days, he follows me everywhere, calls and hangs up, I haven't had the chance to deal with him yet." "Do you want me to help?" Once again she looked at him, and once again she nodded her agreement. "We ca go around this corner, you hide in the doorway and I'll keep going, when he comes around, grab him and hold him still." she said it quickly, almost forgetting herself and letting a tone of excitement into her voice. "Ok." the detective said briskly, all business.  
  
They turned the corner and Leon slunk off into the nearest doorway while Priss continued to walk calmly down the street. A small figure came cautiously around the corner, speeding up to follow Priss and trying not to be seen. The figure let out a yelp of surprise as he felt Leon's strong arms around him, pinning him to the wall. The teenager swore silently to himself, he should have expected something like this to happen. Oh well, he thought as Priss turned to jog back to them, this was one way to start a conversation with Priss.  
  
Priss looked her stalker up and down, slowly studying him. He was about 13, with short dark brown hair and fairly pale skin. He looked very nervous, but not scared like he should have been. He also looked very vaguely familiar, but she had no idea why. Why had this child been following her? Maybe she should ask him that. She closed the gap between them and got a hard look in her eye. "Who are you?" she asked, steel in her voice, the boy gulped nervously, "Kail" he said quietly. "Why have you been following me?" Another gulp. "I - uh - I wanted to - talk with you." he replied nervously, almost stuttering with apprehension. "About what?" Priss' voice was deathly quiet now, she did not appreciate being stalked and wanted to know what this kid was about. And why he looked so damn familiar. "About what?" she reiterated, putting deadly emphasis on each syllable. "About my mother!" he finally blurted out, not able to stand the tension anymore. Priss stood stock still with wide eyes and her mouth hanging slightly open. "K...Kail..." she stuttered, to shocked to say anything coherent.  
  
Meanwhile Leon was looking with confusion from one to the other, trying to absorb the full meaning of it all. Suddenly it hit him like a brick wall and he nearly dropped the teenager he was still holding pinned up against the wall. He couldn't say anything, he was just too shocked. It couldn't be...  
  
Priss stared at Kail's face for several moments, trying to come to grips with it all. They said he had died... he couldn't be here... he couldn't be alive... "Kail..." she stuttered again, gently reaching out to touch his face to make sure he was really there. "M - Mother" Kail sobbed, finally able to say the word as he stood face to face with the woman he had looked so hard for and wanted to meet for so long. Now Leon really did drop him, and he landed on the ground in a heap. Priss knelt down in front of him, not knowing how to react or what to say. Tentatively she reached out and gathered her son to her chest, holding him so close and trying not to think about anything.  
  
Gradually they pulled away from each other, embarrassed and not sure of what to say or how to act. Finally Priss had to break the silence. "Where are your parents?" she asked quietly. "They died in the boomer revolution." there was no pain in his voice as he said it; he said it as a fact. "I'm sorry. Where do you live?" "I stayed here during the takeover in an old abandoned warehouse that hadn't been touched yet. No one claimed it when everyone came back so I'm still there. I've been looking for you since then." Once again there was no emotion. Priss' eyes widened slightly that he had been living alone for seven years. But then so had she at his age.  
  
"Why don't you come back to my trailer?" Priss offered after a long awkward pause. He looked at her with an undecipherable expression and then stood up, seeming to realize for the first time they had both been almost lying on the cement alley floor. Priss still hadn't looked at Leon, who had been staring at her open-mouthed the entire time. He recovered some of his composure when everyone was standing and offered to walk them both, it was still pretty dangerous out here. They walked on in total silence the whole way back, but what no one else noticed was that Leon had gently taken Priss's hand in his own and gave it a reassuring squeeze. Even more surprising, she didn't let go.  
  
Leon stopped outside the door of Priss's trailer, "I better get going. It was great seeing you again Priss." He started to go but Priss reached out and touched his shoulder, making him jump. "I have to pay you back for the walk home, come inside for a beer." she said in a casual tone. It was strait-forward enough, but in Leon's eyes she might as well have said, -- I'm scared, don't leave me-- but Priss would never say that. It was painful for him to see Priss after all that had happened, but he couldn't bear to go.  
  
Priss stepped inside and headed over to the tiny fridge, bringing out three beers. Kail collapsed on the couch immediately, and Leon surveyed the messy trailer that looked no different then when he last saw it. He sat on the end of the unmade bed and wordlessly took the offered beer. Priss awkwardly handed on out to Kail, not sure if he would want it or not. He took it and Priss sat down on the opposite end of the couch and they all drank in silence for a minute that seemed like eternity.  
  
"Maybe I should ask a couple questions to get the ball rolling," Leon said after the unbearable silence, "What exactly, is your ... relationship?" Kail looked up at Priss, wordlessly asking if she wanted to take that one. Priss sighed and said, without looking up, "When I was thirteen I got pregnant. I found Kail some foster parents and visited him a few times until he got old enough to ask questions. End of story." Leon fidgeted a little, not knowing how to respond. "So, what happens now?" He asked finally, trying to goad them into a productive conversation. "Do you wanna stay with me now?" Kail looked at her with an undecipherable expression and then answered, "if you want me to" Priss then smiled slightly, "yeah. I want you to."  
  
Just then the phone on her hip beeped in a specific pattern, signalling a call from sylia. Annoyed Priss reached for her phone. Sylia's anxious face appeared as she flipped the device open, "Priss! We need you down here now, there were several boomers trapped inside a huge office building and when they were cornered they went rogue! There destroying the AD Police, we need your help!" with that the screen went blank and Priss angrily slammed the phone onto the table, reaching for her jacket and helmet, muttering to herself about how she could never get a damned break. Just as she was about to say she had to leave Leon's phone rang with Dailey Wong telling him they needed support at the front of the same incident Priss was going to.  
  
"Watch Kail" Priss said sharply, heading for the door. "But I have to go too..."Leon broke off as Priss was already on her bike speeding towards the road to the Silky Doll. He looked around flustered for a minute and then said "Come on," leaving and walking so quickly Kail had to jog to keep up with him. "Where are we going?" he asked, seeming a little annoyed at being passed around like a five year old. "Some boomers have gone rogue and I have to be there" almost as an afterthought, he added "I'm with the ADP." Then Leon realized they had walked here from the club and he had been dropped off there, it would take him forever to get to the site. He jerked his phone out of his pocket and flipped it open, hitting speed dial. "Dailey! Get your ass over to Hot Legs now! I'll be waiting outside!" he hung up without waiting for a response and they started slowly jogging back the way they had come.  
  
Dailey Wong pulled up in front of the club, scanning the parking lot for his partner. When he spotted the big brute coming over to him he realized a teenage boy was following him. Leon opened the back door and the kid got inside then he opened the front and got in, nearly breaking the door in the process. "Drive," he growled. As Dailey pulled out and headed quickly back to the crime scene he said teasingly, "Why Leon, I do believe you forgot to tell me something. This is the kind of thing your supposed to mention to people, children are considered note-worthy nowadays." "Shut up Wong" Leon muttered quietly , lost in thought. "He's not my kid," Dailey recognized the agitation in his partner, and though it was very commonplace in the fired up detective he still decided it might be better for him to keep his mouth shut this time.  
  
Priss leapt off of her bike and rushed into the silky doll, taking the elevator impatiently down to the Pitt. She saw Linna and Nene getting into their suits and Sylia ready and waiting in hers. "You're going out?" she asked Sylia, surprised a little, this meant it was a serious attack. "There are four high power boomers, all completely rogue and fusing with everything in sight. Hurry up and get into your suit Priss." Priss was already taking her clothes off when Sylia added almost as an afterthought, "Are you alright? You look a little harried." There was a note of concern in her voice as she registered the darker then usual expression on the singer's face. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just want to get out there." Priss replied distractedly, this wasn't the time or the place for talking about anything, whether she intended to or not. She would probably have to eventually, Leon would inevitably say something in front of Nene who would then tell everyone she knew and more.  
  
She tried to push all of these thoughts from her mind as she stepped into the hardsuit frame and felt the inner metal flowing around her. Soon she was inside her hardsuit which made her feel a little more secure. They all rushed to the launch tubes without saying a word, this was too much of an emergency for the four friends to chatter. Priss saw the lights flash around her in the launch tube and closed her eyes, determined to focus purely on the fight ahead. Distraction of any kind would mean trouble. She would blast those damn boomers, those damn boomers that seemed determined to ruin her life. A slow smile crept onto her face while she was soaring above Tokyo, following Sylia to the site. She would smash those damn boomers real good.  
  
Nene almost screamed as the boomers came in sight. They were huge! Oh well, she thought, biting her lip, they were nothing Officer Romanova, girl genius, couldn't handle! She charged towards one of them spraying her needles towards it and preparing to smash its core. She saw Sylia and Linna head towards other ones, but Priss hesitated. She turned her attention back to the boomer and saw the AD Police scurrying out of the way as it picked up one of they're cars and devoured it. She yelled out as she jumped up and over it, planning to land on its shoulders and dig for it's core. Yuck! She only stumbled a little as she executed the maneuver and tried to rip open the back of its skull. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Priss wasting her boomer, ducking its swinging appendages and smashing her fists into any part available again and again with even more ferocity then usual. She said into her microphone to warn Priss, "Priss! It's core is in it's upper chest, your too far of the mark!" Not seeing a reaction, she repeated herself, and was focusing so much of her attention on it she barely noticed the boomer she was standing on turn its gaping maw towards her.  
  
Nene screamed as the boomer's metallic jaw closed around her waist. Hard tentacles came up and she mentally fought off the intrusions, trying to keep the vicious boomer from fusing with her hardsuit. Priss hadn't destroyed her boomer yet, but it had been put temporarily out of action so Sylia yelled to her to help Nene. Priss heard Sylia's voice in the back of her head, making her turn to take notice o what was happening. She saw the red Knight Saber held tight by the boomer and launched over to help her. She drove her fists into the back of its head, using the same tactic as Nene but more ferociously. Eventually she broke through to its core and squeezed with all her might. She saw dark fluid spurting from between her armoured fingers and stood for a moment, panting from the exertion.  
  
She was so involved in prying Nene from the collapsed boomer's grasp that she didn't hear the boomer she had put out of action (temporarily) coming up behind her. She also didn't notice when it started to swing its arms. She only noticed when an armoured forearm smashed into her side with incredible force, sending her flying away to crash into a building wall and land heavily on the hard ground, lying very, very still. 


	2. Discoveries

Chapter 2: Discoveries  
  
Leon had by this point arrived and was standing with the other ADP officers watching the vigilantes do their work. Kail stood behind him, watching the colourful Knight Sabers with total fascination. Leon panicked though when he saw Priss crash into a building about fifty feet away and not get back up. Come on Priss, you have to get up! he thought, desperately watching her every move, or lack of it. When she still hadn't moved for several seconds he ran to her.  
  
Thankfully Sylia and Linna were taking care of the still rampaging boomers so it was a clear run to Priss' prone form. He knelt down next to her, yelling her name over and over to get her to wake up. There were huge rents in the right side of her armour where the boomer's arm made contact and she wasn't making a sound. He tried to get her helmet off but the armour had warped so it was folded together with the rest of the suit. When he couldn't get it off he just cradled her in his lap until Sylia stood before him, holding her arms out. Gently Leon scooped up the blue figure and handed her over to Sylia. Right before the silver Knight Saber departed she spoke quietly into the outside com, "I'm taking her to the Pitt. Come over when you've cleaned up here." Leon nodded solemnly and turned to walk back to where the AD Police where frantically trying to look as if they had handled the situation. He kept his gaze pointed strait at the ground, firmly ignoring the questioning stares of his co-workers and looking for a car.  
  
Kail, still shocked and more then a little puzzled by the husky cop's reaction to the fall of the blue Knight Saber, turned to follow him, jogging to keep up. He decided it was probably best not to say anything, seeing the angry scowl on Leon's face. He quickly got into the car Leon was revving up, guessing they probably weren't supposed to use it but that it didn't really matter. He hastily strapped on his seatbelt after the impatient cop had touched the pedal, sending them barrelling down the freeway at over 250mph.  
  
---  
  
Kail really got curious when they pulled up in front of a big, stylish boutique called the Silky Doll. He followed suit when Leon got out of the car (not bothering to turn the engine off) and ran inside. He was completely puzzled when they walked through the empty front of the shop and into the dressing room.  
  
Kail was just about to say something when the dressing room began a slow descent. He held onto the side and his hazel eyes nearly doubled in size when he saw a woman in her late twenties walking across the room, wearing a helmet-less green hardsuit! She startled at the noise and turned to look at them, about to yell something but catching it right on the tip of her tongue as a look of recognition crossed her face and she said questioningly, "...Leon?" The burly cop nodded brusquely and asked quickly in an anxious voice, "Where's Priss?" "By the bar next to the pool." Seeming to notice Kail for the first time she started to panicky, "Oh my gosh Leon Sylia's gonna go insane when she finds out you told someone!" Leon floundered for a bit, seeming to have forgotten that he had brought Kail along, finally answering, "He has a ... special relationship with Priss." He headed swiftly to the doors at the end of the room. An expression of confusion, curiosity and concern was pasted on the green Knight Saber's face and she followed them, heading in that direction anyway.  
  
Leon walked strait into the double doors leading to the room by the huge pool/fish tank, nearly snapping them off of their hinges in his haste. Sylia looked up from where she was sitting next to a bed, startled by the loud noise. Her eyes narrowed when she saw Kail come in behind Leon, she hadn't said anything about bringing sight-seers. "What do you think your doing bringing strangers here!" she cried out angrily. Sylia had mellowed a lot since the end of the boomer revolution, but not that much. She was waiting very, very impatiently for an answer while Leon floundered a little more for an excuse, then, looking at the unconscious form of Priss on the bed, blurted out, "He's Priss' son. I figured he was gonna find out sooner or later." With that angry statement he swept past a wide-eyed Sylia and knelt by Priss, looking to see how badly she was injured. "Is she going to be ok?" he asked in a concerned voice. Sylia was too shocked to reply for a moment, but then regained her composure ad answered, coming over to kneel next to him, "She suffered severe internal injuries, there is a lot of bleeding and bruising but her hardsuit protected her from the worst of the force. If she doesn't get any worse in the next half hour we won't even need to take her to the hospital." Leon sighed with relief at this and leant back slightly, taking the time to glance around the room at the dazed and shocked expressions of the other two Knight Sabers, Linna was standing behind him gaping at Kail and Nene was recuperating from her test run as a hamburger on a divan, completely dumbfounded.  
  
Just then Priss stirred, moaning softly as her eyes fluttered open, blinking out the bright lights. She saw Leon and Sylia's concerned faces hovering over her who were soon joined by Linna and ... Kail? The memories gradually came back as she tried to sort out the images before her. She remembered everything leading up to the fight... and then there was rage... and Nene was trapped in front of her. Then the memories of the pain came, there was a loud crash as she felt something solid slam into her body. And then there was Leon's face, just like it is now. She looked past the faces. She was in the Pitt, there was the pool and the bar. She tried to prop herself up on her elbows to get a better view but when she moved waves and waves of pain spread through her head and torso and she fell back to the bed with a cry of anguish. Leon came closer and gently put a hand on her shoulder, pinning her down to the bed. Then she heard Sylia's voice, "Don't try to move Priss. You suffered a lot of internal damage and a nasty blow to the head. Just stay put." Priss closed her eyes again, trying to stop the room from spinning. Then she fell back into a deep, drug induced sleep.  
  
---  
  
Her eyes opened again a while later, and she looked around, trying to get her bearings again but not attempting to move this time. She saw Sylia quietly talking to Henderson in a corner and Nene asleep on a couch across the room. Linna was sitting in a chair near Nene swirling a drink and reading a magazine and Mackey was sitting on the floor by Nene's head, holding her hand and dozing. Leon was stretched out on another couch with a bottle half drunk next to him. Kail was over by the pool, sitting at the water's edge and staring at the fish swimming peacefully through its depths.  
  
Priss tried not to make any sudden movements to alert everyone as she tried to once again sort out her recollections of the past night. Her gaze fell on Leon as she thought, watching his deep, easy breathing as he lay peacefully. Finally she decided she was able to get up, so she slowly and steadily moved first one arm then the other beneath her, grimacing away the pain as she propped herself up. Linna glanced at her, eyes wide for a moment, then said to alert everyone, "Priss!" Everyone awake turned and came over, Sylia kneeling down by her bedside to feel her forehead and check the many bandages on the right side of her body and her head, saying all the while, "I see your feeling better. Try to stay still. Do you remember what happened?" "Kinda," Priss replied in a weak voice, startling herself at just how shaky she sounded.  
  
"So, am I in as bad shape as I feel?" Sylia smiled gently at her comment and said in a professional tone of voice, "The boomer that hit you hit you very hard, you got some superficial gashes from the rents in your hardsuit but there was a lot of internal bleeding caused. When you hit the wall and subsequently the floor the wounds were aggravated and more bruising was caused, as well as a nasty blow to the head. Your hardsuit provided you from most of the damage, we would still be scraping you off of the sidewalk if you hadn't been wearing it. You will have to stay here under constant monitoring for a few days but you should be mobile within the week and good as new and just as grouchy as usual after about three weeks of taking it easy. Which means, temporarily of course, your off the team. I'm not going to let you go out and get yourself killed by some rampaging boomer until after you've healed and we can all say it was your own fault." Through the latter half of this speech Sylia was smiling broadly, using her most winning *you know you want to buy this* expression she usually reserved for her customers.  
  
Priss' frown stayed put as she thought about what Sylia had said. She would have stay here in this bed for a few days! Yeah right. She'd rest for another day to get her strength back and then she would be outta here. Finally she nodded what appeared to be acceptance and asked Linna to get a few pillows to hold her up a little. Settling down, she looked again at Leon. Sylia watched her shifting eyes with something between curiosity and amusement with just a dash of concern, she didn't know much about what had happened between the singer and the cop from the Galatea crisis to when Leon left but she did know it had been ugly. Sylia smiled again and walked over to the sleeping form, pushing his shoulder and saying his name quietly into his ear. She didn't realize that not only was Leon a naturally sound sleeper, he had lay on that couch drinking scotch until he couldn't hold the bottle anymore. She said his name louder then, shaking him powerfully but still not rousing him. The noise had woken Mackey and Nene though who were going over to see Priss, Nene leaning on her boyfriends shoulder a little for support. Sylia could hear the group talking quietly to Priss when she finally grew exasperated and drew a small black object that looked a lot like an electric razor out of a drawer. She held the item next to Leon's neck, brushing the skin, and pressed a little red button on the side. Leon's eyes popped open and all of his veins stood out as he sat strait up in his seat, jolted awake and sober by the powerful electric current.  
  
"What the hell do you think your doing Sylia!" He shouted, staring wide eyed at the chuckling woman, completely shocked out of his system by the rude awakening. he glared at her a little longer then looked around, trying to find the reason she had electrocuted him like that (other than for her own amusement). He saw Priss awake and talking with Linna, Nene and Mackey. He got up and walked quickly over to her, checking to see she was alright. "Priss!" He was a little startled by the concern in his voice and tried to mask the worry and anxiety he had been feeling while she slept. "So you finally woke up, huh." trying to sound moderately uninterested. She looked at him with an undecipherable expression and then averted her eyes and looked at the floor, "yeah," a scowl found its way onto her face and she looked back at him defiantly, as if daring him to show he didn't care. But why did she care? She had never cared what anyone thought about her, whether they were interested didn't matter. As long as they didn't get in her way. But his indifference really pissed her off, and she growled out in a much more threatening tone than intended, "Why are you here?" She didn't mean it, and everyone was startled by just how rude she was being, she wasn't the most sensitive person in the world but she'd never said something like that in that tone. Leon was also startled, and then looked hurt. It was plain to everyone around them there were serious tensions between the two and none were surprised when Leon wordlessly turned and walked out. Priss rolled over, wincing at the pain it caused, and tried to go back to sleep. If she was going to be out of here tomorrow she would need a lot of rest. As she fell asleep, she wondered for the first time what Leon had done with Kail.  
  
Sylia walked over to Kail's still form. She stood a few feet from him for a while, thinking about what he meant. She still found it hard to believe Priss would have a son, she had always thought Priss would never want a child and would be to careful for Kail to be an 'accident'. And why hadn't she said something before? She realized Priss didn't usually share any more the she had to but as she had known the woman for about seven years she should have said something! She would have to speak with Kail when he woke up. She would speak with Priss as well but she doubted the singer would be very revealing. She sat and watched Kail, studying his features for several minutes. Nene and Linna had by now gone home, as well as Nigel and Mackey and Henderson had gone to bed.  
  
She walked over to where Priss lay, watching her fitful sleep. They had come so close to losing her. Sylia knew she would never had been able to forgive herself if Priss had been killed. But Priss was fine, she reminded herself. She'll be ok.  
  
Sylia went back to the chair next to Kail and continued her study of him. He certainly did look a lot like Priss, with his dark, unkempt hair, pale skin and fine features. It seemed as if all of a sudden her home had become awash with intrigue.  
  
Kail stirred, feeling someone watching him, and his eyes fluttered open to regard the beautiful woman he had seen earlier staring at him. "So your awake now," the blue haired shop keeper said quietly, "how are you feeling?" she asked. "ok," he answered, "kinda confused" and he was very confused. Yesterday, or maybe it was the day before now, he had had a relatively normal life. He slept in a warehouse and spent the day doing anything he could to get money and food, odd jobs, begging and stealing. The imposing woman looked at him curiously and with a hint of concern in her voice asked, "You didn't know your mother was a Knight Saber?" "No" he answered, "I haven't ever spoken to her until yesterday." Now he was in some sort of secret laboratory while his biological mother lay bleeding next to him and beautiful women walked around in hardsuits. Add one psychotic cop and he was in his idea of the ultimate confusion. He leaned back, took a deep breath and asked, "Will she be alright?" it would be terrible for him to lose her so son after finding her, he had spent months searching for her after his foster parents died in the boomer revolution, then spent days following her but not knowing how to approach, calling but hanging up, having nothing to say. She couldn't die now, he had always thought, after his parents were killed, that he didn't need anyone. He could support himself, and he spent all of his time with his best friend. Then his friend had died to. He had been shot in the middle of a gang war the two of them had become peripherally involved in. He knew then that he needed someone in his life, so he had set out to find Priss. And now he had found her, and she could be dying.  
  
Sylia watched Kail as his eyes studied the still form of Priss. It was obvious that there was a lot going on that she did not know about, but she also didn't know how to get it out in the open. She leaned back in her chair and sighed, closing her eyes. It had been a long day and she really needed some sleep. Maybe she could get Nene to find some files on the two of them, or she could do it herself. She sighed again and started to drift off into sleep, opening her eyes one last time long enough to see Kail get up and walk over to stand next to where Priss was sleeping. //Priss with a son...// was her last thought before finally giving in to the welcoming slumber. 


	3. Dreams

Chapter 3: Dreams  
  
She felt a tall form walk over to where she lay. As the person bent over, she recognized it to be Leon. He slowly came closer and closer, not saying anything but gently brushing his lips against hers. "Leon..." Priss said, but she got no response as he came close again for a deeper kiss. She relaxed into his embrace, not even thinking about the many questions she should be asking. Priss returned his kiss, and they lay entwined for what seemed to be the longest time. Leon lay down next to her, bringing her to lie on top of him with one of her legs either side. He opened his mouth slightly, slipping his tongue into her mouth. She massaged his tongue with her own, melting into his arms, and sliding her fingers through his dark, tousled hair. one of his hands, which had been resting on her hip, moved down, caressing her thigh, while the other moved up to gently squeeze her breast. She moaned into the kiss as he did this, and moved one of her hands down to rest between his legs. She pushed deeper into him with her mouth and slipped her hand over the waist of his pants and moved down, feeling his reaction against her thigh.  
  
Priss woke up with a start, sitting straight up in her bed and then crying out at the wave of pain the action sent through her body. She fell back to the bed, panting, and gripped the side of the bed so hard her knuckles went white as pain roiled through her, beads of sweat appeared on her face and she would have screamed again if it weren't for the fact that even that caused her immeasurable pain. She tried to cling to consciousness but she fainted just as the other occupants of the house came running into the room to see what the problem was.  
  
---  
  
Priss opened her eyes to find Sylia's concerned face staring down at her. She felt sharp pangs of pain in her abdomen, even worse then they had been before. She gritted her teeth and whispered in a hoarse voice, "What happened?" Sylia dabbed at her forehead with a damp cloth as she replied, "I don't know. I was in the other room with Nigel when I heard you scream. I came in and found you laying deathly pale on the bed. I think you fainted." Priss struggled to ignore the pain and clear the fog from her mind. Slowly it came back to her, she had been having a dream when she sat up suddenly, causing her absolute agony. Then she had probably fainted. She relayed this to Sylia, "I woke up from a dream and sat up straight, the pain probably caused me to faint." Sylia nodded and continue to dab with the cloth, gently pushing Priss' raised head back to the pillow. "Get some more sleep, I'll have Henderson make you some lunch in a few hours." Priss wanted to get up and leave more than anything, she hated being mothered, but even talking had caused her pain. There was no way she could walk. She sighed and closed her eyes, it seemed like the only thing she was doing lately was sleeping. As she drifted down into slumber she tried to remember what it was she had been dreaming about, and why she had this overbearing urge not to tell anyone about it.  
  
---  
  
Priss woke with a start, sitting up a few inches before immediately falling back to the pillows at the pain. It had been the same damn dream. She could almost remember it, but it was so fuzzy it didn't have any real meaning. All she knew was that it was just her and Leon. She hoped this wasn't going to be a regular occurrence or she would be doing more damage to herself by jumping than the boomer had. Priss closed her eyes and sent her mind back, trying to remember what it was exactly she had dreamt about and why it made her jump like that. She was starting to remember it, but then she fell asleep again and relived it. She jumped again when she woke up a few seconds later, but not so much this time. She could remember it much more clearly now, but now that she did she wished she couldn't remember. She didn't want to start seeing Leon in her dreams again, it just couldn't be healthy and it certainly wasn't helpful.  
  
Priss lifted her head off of the pillow a little, trying not to fall asleep and dream again. She saw Henderson walking towards her with a tray of food and suddenly remembered she hadn't eaten for about 30 hours or so. She was ravenous and barely held off long enough to thank Henderson before diving into the food like starved puppy.  
  
--- 3 days later  
  
Priss was as quiet as she could be as she stepped out of her bed and snuck over to where her jacket and shoes were sitting. She picked up her belongings and headed for the doors, wincing with each quiet step. Remembering, she took a not she had written earlier and tossed it over to the bed where she had spent the last four days. Finally she was getting out, and she would leave no matter how painful it was. She was about ready to strangle Sylia after all that time of incessant wavering between doctoring and mothering. She was feeling better and didn't want to risk Sylia's good health. Who'd have thought Sylia would go all caring and maternal when someone was seriously injured. However nice she had been, if she called Priss 'Dear...' one more time blood would flow. She couldn't wait to get the old Sylia back, slightly crazy but better than this.  
  
Priss had by now reached her bike and it looked like she was going to get out. She stroked its frame lovingly, she had been separated from it for four days and couldn't wait to be back in the saddle, so to speak. She put her helmet on and gingerly slid onto the seat, gripping the throttle and glowing at the feel of cold metal underneath her again. She had to get out fast as soon as she turned it on or Sylia would catch her and drag her back. She revved it up and sped away form the shop, gritting her teeth at the extreme pain the vibrations sent through her but loving every second. She roared across the highways and pushed her bike as fast as her aching ribs could stand. It was all too soon when she was pulling up by her trailer, regretfully getting off and heading towards the door, wondering what Kail was doing. As soon as she had spoken to him at the Silky Doll she had told him he could stay at her trailer while she was recuperating and they hadn't really said much else.  
  
She leaned against the door for a few minutes before going in. Not only was she slightly anxious about talking to Kail, she had put off thinking about him for a long time, but she had to fight off a wave of painful dizziness. She was breathing heavily and the world was starting to swim before her eyes. Maybe she hadn't been ready to leave Sylia's after all, she thought as she leant against the door, trying to clear her vision and get her bearings. She tried to stand independently but found she couldn't, she was so dizzy she couldn't have said which way was up or down to save her life. She heard a thud and felt the ground against her skin, but it didn't feel like it was beneath her, more like off to the side. She struggled to get up but a new wave of dizziness and pain broke through her body and she saw the blackness edging in on her vision. The last thing she registered before she passed out completely was Kail picking her up and carrying her inside.  
  
---  
  
Priss felt a damp cloth being dabbed on her forehead and groaned. She was back with Sylia! It had all been a dream, getting out. She would have gone back to sleep and tried to dream her way out again if it weren't for the fact that she was starving. She opened her eyes, expecting to see Sylia's caring face shining down. She got a shock when she saw that it wasn't Sylia, but Kail sitting next to her. She blinked a few times and tried to orient herself, taking in her surroundings. She was lying in her own bed in her shabby trailer. Then she looked at Kail. She vaguely remembered feeling really dizzy when she got off of her bike and then collapsing. She also remembered being carried inside.  
  
"Are you alright?" Kail asked, a worried frown on his face. "Yeah," Priss relied briefly, wriggling a little to see how sore she was, "but man am I hungry!" Without a word Kail stood up and made her a couple of horseradish sandwiches, handed them over and then cleaned up. "I found you outside lying on the ground," he said to her from the kitchen area, "you were really stupid to try and leave that shop. You could have really hurt yourself." Priss' eyes widened at how concerned he sounded. She didn't think he'd care about her so much, he had come looking for her, but still.  
  
She lay in silence and ate her sandwiches while Kail went over to playing some handheld game console. Priss watched him and thought about what she was going to do. Since his foster parents had been killed he would have to stay with her. She had found his name on the long list of those killed by the boomer revolution, but now that she knew he was alive she couldn't leave him to fend for himself, as he had been for years. She had only seen him a few times and knew practically nothing about him but she still didn't want him to grow up the same way she had. She couldn't do that to him.  
  
Maybe Linna would have some good advice on what she should do. She had no idea how to act towards him, for one thing, and she didn't know how she should approach him on any subject that should probably be talked about, no matter how much she didn't want to. She had finished eating and sat lay with her eyes closed, thinking about what she should do about everything.  
  
---  
  
### Leon sat and stared at the phone, trying to summon the willpower to pick it up and call. His hand moved slowly, inch by inch towards it. He pressed the digits one by one until there was only one left. A brief wave of determination surged through him and he pressed it, bringing it to his ear and listening to the distant ring.  
  
Hello he heard a familiar voice say. There was a long pause as the person on the other end waited for a reply. Leon sucked in a deep breath and answered in an unsure voice.  
  
It's me.  
  
Hi  
  
I just wanted to make sure, you know, you were okay and everything.  
  
Yeah, I'm fine  
  
Good. That's good. You... you know how sorry I am.  
  
I know  
  
I called to tell you something. I'm leaving. leaving Tokyo. Being transferred and all that, you know. Have to go where the job takes me, right?  
  
Have fun.  
  
*Click*  
  
Leon sighed and listened to the flat, monotonous tone before finally putting the phone down and leaving. ###  
  
Leon thought back to that day, the day he had left. And now he felt as if he was about to reinact it. But not to the same results. He steadied himself and walked through the door, headed for a certain trailer.  
  
---  
  
Priss heard the receiver click as she put the phone down. What to do now. She looked down at her bandaged torso and decided to take them off and have a look, she felt like an Egyptian mummy. She grasped the edge and pulled, wincing at the pressure and then gritting her teeth and letting out a low growl as the adhesive ripped off of her skin. Her skin was left red and blotchy but otherwise it didn't look to bad. The swelling from her ribs had gone down a lot and the various bumps were smaller. The huge bruises were beginning to fade a little as well. She gingerly ran her fingers over her abused ribs. Her fingers froze when she felt the rough patch of dead skin, the circular scars, depressed in the middle and rough around the edges. There were four of them in a circle, on the right side of her ribcage. God they had hurt. She'd walked out of an alley looking for someone and some stupid AD Police officer had shot her, thinking she was a boomer. Stupid bastard. She'd been rushed to the hospital and given the greatest care in repayment for being shot. How generous they had been. Pricks.  
  
She pulled her hand away and let her shirt drop back down. She didn't have the energy to replace the bandages, she would do it in the morning. Her mind wandered back to that day she'd been shot by the ADP officer. He'd apologised to her so much, he was still apologising. She had forgiven him, of course, but it still didn't feel complete. Stupid Leon. That's what made him leave. Stupid. 


	4. Panic

Chapter 4: Panic  
  
A knock sounded from the door. Priss looked up from where she was getting dressed and yelled out, "Who is it?"  
  
"Leon"  
  
Priss froze for a second as she thought about what to do. Finally she answered, "Come in." Leon opened the door slowly and walked in, his eyes widening as he saw that Priss was barely dressed. She pulled her pants on and said without turning to look at him, "What is it?"  
  
Leon was blushing now and floundered a little before answering, "I just wanted to make sure you were ok and everything, and that you weren't... weren't mad at me."  
  
Priss waited for a while before answering. She picked up some bandages from the bed and turned to face him, making him blush harder as she was wearing nothing from the waist up. "Help me with this, will you" she said briefly. He walked towards her and took the offered bandages, taping one end to her side and starting to wrap them around. He paused when he was about to cover her scars, staring at them. She looked down at him, expression unreadable, as he slowly continued with the wrapping, guiltily avoiding the sight of the puckered white marks. He finally taped off the end and stood up.  
  
"So, are you, ok I mean."  
  
"Yeah," she answered, looking away from him and walking over to where she had left her shirt. She picked it up and was about to bring it over her head but stopped with her arms out in front. She tried to bring them up higher but the stretch was still too painful, she had been having to have Kail help her with all sorts of things she would have preferred not to but Leon was the only one here now. She looked at the ground and sighed, "Can you help me?" she asked in a resigned tone.  
  
Leon closed the gap between them and took the black sleeveless shirt from her hands. He stood behind her and brought it above her head, bringing it gently down, wincing even as she winced when it stretched over her still swollen rib cage. He did, however, not stand back when he was done. He kept his powerful arms gently wrapped around her waist and she swiftly turned to regard him, surprise in her eyes.  
  
Priss turned around, still held fast in Leon's grasp, staring decidedly at his neck. "Priss..." he breathed, "you know I'm sorry."  
  
"I know" she answered in a small voice.  
  
"Then why won't you look at me dammit!" Leon's voice rose and his arms tightened, "You haven't once looked me in the eyes since..." he broke off. "You never forgave me." his voice lowering again. "You know I'm sorry."  
  
Priss continued to stare at his neck and waited a long time before answering, "I forgave you" she said. "It was an accident. A stupid accident." Leon sighed as he realized the truth. He hadn't left Tokyo out of guilt, he had left because he was too afraid she wouldn't forgive him. And because he ran away, she didn't forgive him. He whispered in her ear, "I love you Priss, and I would never do anything to hurt you." He inwardly winced as the hypocrisy of that statement hit him. "Intentionally, I mean."  
  
Priss leaned in against his chest and took a deep breath, "I know Leon, I know." They stood for a while, no one really knowing what to say or where to begin. Being shot by the person you love is not exactly an easy thing to get over, and neither is shooting an innocent. Leon finally said, "Priss, I love you and I always will. You know that. You know that."  
  
"So you've said." she answered, still not knowing what to say.  
  
"And I'm more sorry than you could ever know." He said, still quiet. He leaned over, bringing his face closer and closer towards hers until they're lips were a fingers breadth apart. Priss brought her eyes up, focusing now on his cheekbones. With what appeared to be a great effort, she tore her eyes up to gaze into his. She looked at him and then, no matter how hard she tried, all the anger and sorrow she had never dealt with came out and her eyes brimmed with salty liquid.  
  
Leon was surprised by this, he had never once seen Priss cry, but now a solitary tear was running down her cheek as she stared him with a tight expression straight in the eye. Silently she stared at him, tears running down her cheeks. Leon reached out and took her in his arms, cradling her gently against his chest as her tears ran into his shirt. "Why, Priss?" he whispered to her, "Why won't you forgive me?" He rocked slowly back and forth.  
  
Priss sniffed before answering, "You abandoned me. How can you love me so much if you would run away. I finally let myself trust you and then you abandoned me." her voice was growing stronger with each word, "How could you run away like that?" she asked.  
  
"I was afraid. I didn't want to, but I thought that was what you wanted. I didn't want to and I promise I never will again. Never" he replied. He wasn't going to run away now. He leaned over and kissed her gently, pressing his lips against hers and tasting the bitter saltiness of her tears. Priss was startled at first, but then fell into it. An irrational thought crossed her mind, //I'm dreaming again. This is just another one of those dreams. I'll fall deeper and deeper and then I'll wake up, still in my bed. What the hell.// She moved her hands up his back to run her fingers through his hair. Priss opened her mouth and pushed her tongue into his mouth, massaging his. He responded enthusiastically, thinking this was how he could finally get her to forgive him. To show her that he wasn't afraid, that he still loved her and still wanted her. He would have to show her.  
  
---  
  
Priss woke up with a start. She blinked a few times to clear her vision and looked around. Same old trailer, same old mess, same old Leon. Leon! He was snoring peacefully, sleeping next to her. That's right, he had been here a while now. He had stayed for two days. Kail had come and gone. Everything came back to her and she started to sweat as she realized what this could mean. She roughly grabbed Leon's shoulder and shook it, trying to wake him. After a while of this and her shouting his name he eventually stirred and looked at her, bleary eyed. "What is it?" he asked, trying to stay awake for the answer.  
  
"Get out" Priss answered harshly, "Get your damn clothes and get out!"  
  
"Wha-" Leon looked confused, he thought he had proven to her how much he loved her. He didn't want to leave.  
  
"GET OUT NOW!" she screamed, furious now. She struggled out of bed, trying to remove the twisting covers and reaching for her clothes, ignoring the pain every jerky movement caused her. She picked up the various items of Leon's clothes from the floor and tossed them to him one by one while he struggled to pull them on, confusion plain on his face. Finally he had his pants on and was holding his shirt in his hands when Priss, holding all of her clothes with some of them on, turned to him and screamed, "NOW GO!"  
  
"Priss-" Leon started, moving towards her, before he was cut off by Priss again,  
  
"GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY HOME!" and an upraised hand made it look as if she was about ready to club him to death. He tried to stay calm but failed miserably,  
  
"WHAT FOR?" he shouted back at her, his anger rising.  
  
Priss bowed her head and stared fixedly at the ground. "Just get out" she said more quietly, pleading. "Just get out" she reiterated, stronger now. "Please."  
  
Leon was startled and felt the anger run out of him. He'd never heard Priss say please to anyone, especially not him. With a resigned sigh he turned and walked out of the door, pulling on his shirt and jacket as he walked.  
  
Priss sat on her bed, nervously chewing on her fingernails. She pulled her hand away suddenly, staring at it. She hadn't chewed her fingers since she was six years old. She put her hand in her lap and continued to think nervously, her thoughts racing. They hadn't used protection. She could be pregnant. And it was to late to use any morning after type contraception. You had to administer anything within twelve hours. It had been way more than that. What could she do? What if she was pregnant? No, she couldn't be. Lightning doesn't strike twice. But could it? As callous as she may seem, Priss didn't think she could get an abortion. She couldn't handle the physiological implications of it. She couldn't kill a child. Shit. What if she was? There had been plenty of opportunity for it, and she knew this was a good time of the month for it. Shit.  
  
---  
  
Leon sat at his tiny desk with his head lying on his folded arms. A wad of coffee-stained paper lay beneath him. He groaned and shifted slightly as his partner, Dailey Wong poked and prodded his shoulder. "Come on, Leon- poo, its time to get up and do a little thing we like to call police work,"  
  
Leon's head shot up at the remark but the action caused searing lights to flash before the poor detective's eyes and a roar of noise to course through his aching brain. "I told you never to call me that Wong!" he coarsely whispered, wincing at how loud his own voice sounded in his ears.  
  
"Well I had to wake you up somehow" Dailey responded calmly. He leaned in for a closer inspection of Leon's face and pulled back the lid of one bloodshot eye. "Stay up a little late drinking last night, did we?" he said in a heartlessly loud voice. Leon blinked out the light and resisted the urge to puke in Dailey's face.  
  
"Go...away" he said quietly in a threatening voice, "I had to drag my ass all the way over here and I can not deal with your tricks Wong!" With that he slumped his head back onto his trembling arms.  
  
"Your not still moping about this thing with that woman, are you?" Dailey said in a disgusted voice.  
  
"Priss, her name is Priss, is that so hard?" Leon said angrily, still buried in his arms. "And I'm not moping!" he added. Dailey nodded his head sagely,  
  
"Of course not" he said with huge sarcasm, "just let her go and get on with your life. Your killing yourself drinking yourself to sleep like this. What is it about you that makes you immediately think 'problem - where's the scotch'. It makes no sense!" Leon just groaned in response. "Come on," Dailey said, "the chief wants to talk to us"  
  
Leon staggered to his feet and stumbled bleary eyed towards the door. The two of them slowly walked outside and down the hall. Leon took a deep broth and leaned against the wall for a minute, "Wong..." he began very quietly, making Dailey lean in to hear, "GET ME SOME DAMN COFFEE!" he yelled, startling his poor partner out of his skin and following with a glare that sent Dailey running towards the coffee machine. The machine that had only been recently been fixed from the last time Leon didn't have any coffee.  
  
"Oh Leon-poo!" Leon winced as he heard a high-pitched, childish voice call out to him, "What did you do to Priss?" Nene demanded as she ran down the corridor to him, "She's not answering her phone, and," she paused, leaning closer and whispering in a conspiratorial voice, "she isn't coming on any missions. What did you do?" Leon thought about exactly what he could say to make Nene leave him alone. Eventually he gave up and just growled a low, menacing growl. Nene's eyes widened in surprise, and, after a moment's shock, she slowly turned and walked away. Leon reached the peak of his frustration, and yelled out in a booming voice, "WILL EVERYONE JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!" Heads turned throughout the floor and everyone just stared at the fuming Leon as he stalked back to his office, wordlessly snatching the offered coffee from Dailey's hand and downing it in a gulp.  
  
---  
  
Sylia Stingray tread carefully as she walked up to the beaten old trailer and topped as she reached the door. She stared at the spray painted 'PRISS' in huge red letters across the side. She wondered if Priss was even home. Finally she took a deep breath and knocked on the door. Sylia straightened her jacket and waited for an answer. She knocked again, harder this time. She had a gut feeling Priss was in the trailer and Sylia wasn't taking no for an answer. She raised her voice and shouted out, "Priss, I know you're in there so come and open this door." She waited patiently until she heard the answer,  
  
"Get away from here Sylia!"  
  
"Not until I know why you didn't answer the phone!" Sylia responded defiantly, sensing the singer's bad mood. She heard Priss pound over and jerk the door open, almost detaching it from its hinges.  
  
"I don't want to go on anymore of your stupid missions, Sylia," Priss sneered, "I'm not your little puppet! So you can keep your God damned money!"  
  
Priss sat broken hearted in her trailer. What was happening to her? She'd never done anything like that to Sylia, not Sylia. What was wrong with her? She just spent all day moping around her trailer, refusing to talk to Leon, barely talking to Kail. All the stress of everything that had happened lately suddenly weighed down her shoulders. Priss felt her head begin to spin in emotional turmoil and she felt incredibly dizzy. She let her face drop into her ands and closed her eyes, but the dizziness was still there. Her breathing increased, and panic gripped her heart. Her chest tightened and she broke out in a cold sweat. Priss lurched to her feet, holding her head and trying to keep her balance as bright colours flashed and wavered across her field of vision. She felt overwhelmed and fell to her knees, the colours spinning. She couldn't catch her breath now, she panted heavily and her heart pounded. Adrenaline coursed through her body as she tried to stand but couldn't. Her whole body trembled violently. She couldn't see anything except the colours, all the colours spinning. Her thoughts couldn't focus on anything and her mid raced, panicked, as black edged in on her vision. The black swarmed, flowing like a blanket. And then she knew nothing. 


	5. Blackout

A/N: First I want to say thankies to all my lovely reviewers ^^ I re-read chapter five and realized it was a little confusion so now I've re-written it and explained more about Sylia/Priss relationship. About the going to Linna's ending up at Sylia's thing that was just a random typo so I've fixed that now! Thanks for pointing it out, I'm not very good at telling if what I've written made much sense or not so I value any comments reviewers make! I've tried to make it less confusing, but I'm afraid its only going to get more crowded in Chapter six so. you'll see. As for now check this out and tell me what you think! ^^  
  
priss-chan  
  
Chapter 5: Blackout  
  
"Priss. Priss, are you alright?" a concerned voice broke through the barrier of darkness around Priss' mind and she shook her head back and forth, wanting to go back into the warm darkness. Someone shook her shoulder and she was gradually brought back to full wakefulness. Priss could see Sylia's serious face hovering above hers. "Are you awake now, Priss?" she asked.  
  
"Yes, yes, yes, I'm awake," Priss answered drowsily. "What happened?" she asked.  
  
"You passed out. Kail called me and had me come over, he found you unconscious in the floor." Sylia said, "I can't for the life of me think of why though. What were you doing."  
  
"Nothing, nothing, I'm fine now." Priss answered vaguely, remembering the events of last night.  
  
Thinking about what had happened a couple days ago between her and Priss, Sylia realized she should probably leave well enough alone. With a brief parting word to Priss she walked out of the trailer and headed back to the Silky Doll.  
  
Priss sat again with her head in her hands. She had had a panic attack. She of all people. At least it wouldn't happen again. Would it? What if it did? Maybe she shouldn't be so alone. After testing to make sure she could stand, she grabbed her jacket and left for Sylia's apartment.  
  
---  
  
"I'm worried about you Priss!" Sylia shouted, "This isn't like you! What is happening to you?" Priss fumed with mounting anger and sadness as she thought of a reply. For a while she simply stood in silence, debating whether she was about to break down or break something. She opted for breaking something. Instead of speaking, she grabbed an expensive vase from a near table and hurled it towards the wall. It shattered completely on impact and a shower of broken shards fell to the ground in a shimmering wave. Trying to head off any further violence, Sylia spoke out in a strong voice, "Priss, despite everything that has happened I still care for you. And even though I love Nigel, I still love you." Priss stared at Sylia as the elegant older woman walked towards her and took each of her hands in her own. Priss had thought that that part of her life was closed.  
  
"Sylia-" she stuttered, "We ended that. That's over. No matter how much I may have-" she stopped, still hesitant to use the word 'love'. "No matter what I felt in the past that's gone and I can't think about it right now." Sylia stared at Priss, her eyes brimming with unspoken emotion.  
  
"I just think that you really need someone here for you right now. I wanted you to know exactly how I feel about you. I'm here for you." Sylia thought that she might be the only person able to bring Priss back from where she was. She couldn't lose her best Knight Saber to an emotional breakdown. And if opening old wounds was the only way to keep that from happening, then that's what she would do. There was no truth to what she said. As Priss had said, 'That's over.' Was it. Of course it was. Sylia reaffirmed that thought in her mind. This was all for the sake of Priss' mental health. Of course. "I will never leave you," It looked like it was working. Now for the next step, "I still love you," Sylia said simply, leaning in closer towards Priss.  
  
"Sylia, look," Priss said in a slightly panicked voice, "I know we had a relationship, but that was such a long time ago and we broke up. Broke up - ended - finished. I've put it behind me. You wanted Nigel, remember?"  
  
"Yes, I remember. And then you brought home the stray." Sylia responded, a note of pain in her voice.  
  
"Her name, is Linna!" Priss growled, "And don't tell me there's no sincerity at all when you flirt with her so much!"  
  
"My my, Priss, you always were the jealous one!" Sylia purred. /I'm losing sight of the point. Have to stay focused.support and love for Priss./ Her demeanour changed back into the sugared, seductive pose, nothing but love and support. /She needs this. I don't mean to reopen old wounds about our break-up but I rally think she needs me. Something with her is very, very wrong./  
  
"Anyway, that's all in the past," Sylia continued, "I just want you to have my total support." She inched nearer to Priss, going for a more physical display of affection.  
  
"Sylia I can't-" Priss broke off as Sylia pressed her lips to Priss', pushing passionately against her and guiding her into a laying position on a nearby couch. Priss responded in kind, but then stopped and pulled away. She turned her head sharply to one side, wincing as she realized what just happened. Pushing Sylia roughly to one side she pulled herself off the couch and stood up, saying, "This can't happen Sylia. This CAN'T!" Priss backed away from Sylia, muttering to herself. "I will never let you hurt me like you did before. Never. You can't do this to me Sylia!" She felt the sadness she had felt so many years ago, just as keen. She countered the pain, pushing it away with a wall of anger. "All you do is lie, and deceive, and I won't fall victim to more of your little games! You were the one who ended that relationship and I think you wanted to. Everything you do is cold and calculated and solely for your own purposes, never out of compassion or love. You never cared about me, you only wanted to use me and when you finished you just threw me back!"  
  
"That's not true and you know it, Priscilla Asagiri!" Sylia bristled but kept her cool. "I did everything I could to save that relationship and you let it go. You're incapable of letting anyone close to you for fear of getting hurt and in the end, that's what got you hurt." Sylia didn't raise her voice but she still had enough affect.  
  
Priss stood silently staring with pain in her eyes, pain she would never admit, and then finally screamed out, "I CAN'T TAKE THIS!" before running out of the building, slamming all the doors behind her.  
  
-.-.-  
  
"Priss, what happened?" Linna demanded, exasperated.  
  
"I told you - it was nothing. I- I should go." Priss flatly replied, walking to the door.  
  
"No Priss, stay. Something is wrong. So you went to Sylia's house and." Linna left it hanging.  
  
Priss didn't turn to look at Linna, but stayed very still for a minute before speaking. Emotionlessly she said, "Did you know that Sylia and I used to be in a relationship. Before you came. You didn't, did you. How could you. Not even Nene knows."  
  
Linna's eyes widened in complete shock. "You and - and Sylia?" she stuttered. She tried to recover for a moment and then said, "Go on,"  
  
"I went to see her and the little bitch tried to use those memories of her against me. That little bitch. She's got some sort of conspiracy going against me. To her I'm just some little mindless slave for her amusement." There was venom in Priss voice.  
  
"Priss?" Linna asked. It wasn't like Priss to be this paranoid. She was acting up. Linna looked up and saw Priss was shaking violently. "Priss?" she asked again, concerned now. She rushed forward to support Priss and the singer started taking rasping, heaving breaths and blinking rapidly. She shook all over and was drenched in a cold sweat. She gripped Linna tightly and clung to her, still shaking. "Priss what's happening!" Linna demanded. Then Priss' eyes rolled up into her head and she collapsed into Linna's arms.  
  
"Oh my god," Linna gasped, "Priss!" Linna knelt on the floor cradling Priss' form. Tears were falling from her eyes onto Priss' face. She stayed still for several minutes, not knowing what to do. "Sylia, I have to call Sylia." She whispered to herself. She stretched to reach the phone and dialled Sylia's number with shaking fingers. Dial tone. Ringing. More ringing. More ringing. No answer. Frustrated Linna jabbed at the button to end the call. She moved back, pulling Priss with her to lean against the couch. /I'll wait here. Priss will wake up./ she thought to herself. Gently Linna leaned over and kissed Priss lightly on the forehead. /Priss will wake up/  
  
---about an hour later---  
  
Priss murmured in her sleep and rolled on to her side, rousing Linna from her quiet reflection. "Priss," Linna whispered hopefully.  
  
"Linna.mmmm." Priss moaned. Then her eyes flickered open. She blinked a few times and then lifted her head, looking around. "Linna?" she said, looking into Linna's face.  
  
"Priss." Linna breathed, "Are you alright? I was so worried." Linna's face spoke volumes of concern.  
  
Priss took a deep breath and steadied herself, trying to stand up. "I'm fine, it - it was nothing." Priss was on her feet and started to walk towards the door.  
  
"Priss." Linna said, getting up after her, "Maybe you should sit down for a while. Do you want a doctor?"  
  
"No, no I'm fine. Later." Priss replied.  
  
Linna caught Priss' arm and pulled her around, "Wait!" she said emphatically, "wait," she repeated more quietly. "Don't leave," Priss' eyes widened as Linna brought her in close, hugging her tightly. "I was so scared Priss, I thought you were dying." Linna sobbed on Priss' shoulder. "So scared. I'm so glad you woke up." She pulled back a little to gaze into Priss' shocked face. "Priss, I couldn't live without you." Linna swallowed, "I love you" Priss' eyes looked like they were about to pop out of her head. Linna leant forward, closing the gap by tenderly pressing her lips against Priss'. Linna closed her eyes and after a few moments of surprise Priss relaxed slightly. After what seemed an eternity Linna pulled away. "I've been waiting to do that for a long time." Linna sighed, "I always said I'd get you someday." The green Knight Saber smiled slightly.  
  
A trapped expression crossed Priss' face and she muttered, "Linna - ?" before turning and fleeing Linna's apartment.  
  
"Priss.?" Linna stuttered, listening to the patter of Priss' feet fading down the stairwell. Linna stood several seconds, shocked still, before turning sharply to run into her room, hurling herself onto her bed and crying into her pillow. /I just screwed up any chance I had with Priss!/ she thought. 


	6. Awakening

Chapter 6: Awakening  
  
Priss sat on her bed, cross-legged with her head in her hands. /Why is it everyone I turn to for help seems to want to sleep with me? Why won't they just fucking sit there and listen to me and maybe offer some advice? That's it. No more. From now on, I'm on my own. What the hell am I going to do? I have no clue. Congratulations, Priss. You're insane and completely fucked. And not only are you completely screwed, you are also a pregnant little twat. Great way to boost my confidence. Oh fuck it./ Priss fell, exasperated, forward onto the bed.  
  
Just then she heard a knock at the door and a stern voice spoke out, "Priss. I know you're in there." Then Priss could hear more footsteps and a hushed conversation. Another knock on the door and a much shyer voice, "Priss? Are you alright?" Priss didn't answer.  
  
"Priss," Sylia's stern voice returned, "Open this door at once." Still Priss didn't answer. She went back to her cross-legged position, head in her hands. /Why are they both here. And of course Sylia and Linna just had to show up at the exact same time. Naturally they couldn't have spaced things out a little. Things just can't get any worse./  
  
She heard them pounding on the door for what seemed like hours, but was only a few minutes, until they both simultaneously shouted out, "Priss, I'm sorry I kissed you." Then there was dead silence. Priss could imagine them staring at each other in shock. /Come on kids, come and meet Priss, the bisexual slut of Tokyo. I'm losing my fucking mind./  
  
Finally she worked up the energy and the forlorn biker yelled out, "Go away!"  
  
Long pause. Maybe they had left. Priss strained and thought she could hear harshly whispered conversations.  
  
"What are you doing here?"  
  
"I don't think she really wants to see you right now!"  
  
Then Priss heard a masculine voice that was depressingly familiar, "I have every right to be here! What are you two doing out on her doorstep shouting your heads off!" /Oooooh, Leon go away!/ Priss thought.  
  
A tentative knock on the door. "Priss?" Leon's voice sounded, "Thank you so much for calling and explaining to me what had happened. Oh wait - you didn't. Thanks a lot." His voice was bitterly sarcastic.  
  
/Why won't they just go away!/ Priss thought. /What do they want out of me anyway?/ She gripped at her head, trying to block out the noise of the shouts outside.  
  
"What do you want?!" She finally yelled, half screaming.  
  
Silent pause outside.  
  
"We just want to talk, Priss" Linna finally replied, annoyed at being so shut out.  
  
"Well we're talking now! Say what you have to say! All of you!" Priss yelled back.  
  
"You see its like this-" Leon started.  
  
Priss interrupted, "In one sentence!"  
  
Silent pause outside.  
  
"Linna, you go first" Priss prompted.  
  
Linna took a deep breath, "I'm sorry I kissed you Priss, I thought it was for the best, I didn't mean to scare you."  
  
"That sounded one hell of a lot like three sentences!" Priss replied.  
  
"They were comas," Linna said challengingly.  
  
"Whatever. Leon, you next."  
  
"I came to see if you were all right and ask why the hell you threw me out of here!" Leon said in a gruff voice.  
  
"Fair enough. I'm fine. You can go now. Oh-, and feel free to leave me alone for the rest of your fucking life! You've done enough damage already!" Priss yelled angrily.  
  
"What damage?!" Leon yelled back, confused and hurt.  
  
"All right!" Sylia said in her most commanding voice, "I've had enough of this! Priscilla I demand that you open the door this instant so we can figure this all out!"  
  
"NO! Just leave me alone!" Priss yelled, rocking back and forth on her bed with her hands clasped over her ears, the pressure of her life suddenly bearing down on her. She knew she was behaving strangely, but she didn't care. She just wanted all the hurt to go away.  
  
"Right." Sylia said crisply, "Leon, break the door down."  
  
"What?" he demanded.  
  
"I said do it!" Sylia commanded.  
  
Without another word Leon turned and set his shoulder against the quite flimsy door, banging into it several times before ripping it completely off its hinges.  
  
"What the fuck do you think you're doing!" Priss shouted, scrambling into the far corner, "Stay away from me!"  
  
Sylia stepped briskly through the debris of the door to stand before Priss. Leon followed her with Linna tentatively behind, staring daggers at Leon.  
  
Priss saw nothing but the three bodies converging on her, all chanting "Priss, Priss, Priss, we need you." over and over again. She started screaming at them to go away, clamping her hands over her ears and pushing herself into the corner as war as she could, screaming all the while.  
  
"Priss, Priss, Priss." it continued and then abruptly, it stopped, and all the figures around her, pressing in on her, froze exactly in place, silent. Priss' head snapped up at the sudden change. She looked around her, her position relaxing and her mind becoming a little less withdrawn. The figures remained frozen, and Priss let out a half smile and a little laugh, she felt as if a huge pressure had been lifted off of her shoulders. She started to laugh, and felt so free. She was about to stand up, and then very suddenly there was nothing. Nothing but bright, white, glaring light shining in her face and making her squeeze her eyes shut.  
  
She felt herself on a horizontal, on a hard white bed with restraints on her arms and legs. She writhed against them, straining her body trying to escape, to see something other then that bright white light. 


	7. Frozen

A/N Yes, I know its been a long time. Like a year. I'm not sure. But I sort of went back to everything the other day and found Ch7 half written, stopping mid-sentence. So I finished it off this evening and decided to post. No guarantees on when it will be done, I found a plan for what's gonna happen on my computer so should get it finished, but really don't know when. Hopefully soon! Thank you to all my readers for being really, really, really patient. : )  
  
Chapter 7: Frozen  
  
"No change?" Sylia asked in a clinically detached tone.  
  
"No. She's still repeating that dream in her head over and over again, sometimes she falls asleep but most of the time she mutters to herself. We've even had a few moments of clarity from her, she's manic depressed and aggressive but still quite normal. All she wants to do is get out of here but she refuses to talk to the doctors." The psychologist replied, gazing at Priss' chart. She exhibits antisocial and sadistic behaviour, but we believe that this is no more than an exaggeration of her normal character. If we can get her talking we could have her back to normal and out of here within the month. All she needs is one week of rational, sane behaviour and the agreement to see a psychologist weekly and she can go home. We thought it might be good for you to try and talk to her." He looked at Sylia, motioning her towards the door.  
  
Without a word Sylia went towards the door to Priss' room at the mental institution. She stopped for a few moments, taking a deep breath and collecting her thoughts. /I wish Linna had been mature enough to come down here and see Priss. I have no idea what to say. My last plan for helping her didn't turn out to well. I suppose she just needs to be woken up. Here we go./  
  
She walked through the door, coming to stand before Priss. "Hello Priss" she said emotionlessly.  
  
Priss stared at the floor, shoulders bowed. "Hello Sylia" Priss hissed the older woman's name.  
  
"I see you're having one of your moments of clarity," Sylia said sarcastically.  
  
"Go away Sylia. I don't need to be used any more."  
  
"Look Priss, the truth of the matter is, we need you. Nene needs you, Linna needs you." Sylia said in an authoritarian manner, "I need you" she added in a quiet voice.  
  
"You never needed me." Priss said harshly.  
  
There were several seconds of silence.  
  
"I never saw you being extremely dependant." Sylia said sarcastically.  
  
Priss didn't respond.  
  
Sylia stood impatiently, waiting for Priss to say something. Inside, she was panicking. She might lose Priss. She needed Priss right now, well, technically, she needed the Blue Knight Saber but she didn't want to lose Priss.  
  
"Just go away Sylia." Priss said, her voice broken.  
  
"Not until you tell me how we can fix this. You need to be back on the team, beating the crap out of boomers."  
  
"I just can't take it any more," Priss sounded on the verge of tears, "I just can't handle the pressure. I have two children. You never would have guessed that, would you. I can't even take care of myself, I can't handle taking care of someone else. I've barely said a word to Kail since he came back. I can't take it. I just can't." Tears were rolling down Priss' cheeks to fall unnoticed on the ground. Priss still hadn't moved at all since Sylia came in, still sitting, poised on the end of the bed, shoulders bowed with what seemed the weight of the world and staring devoutly at the floor.  
  
"You're pregnant again Priss? Is that what this is all about?" Sylia tried not to let her shock at this news show in her voice.  
  
"Yes. And I don't care who you tell. Leon was going to find out eventually anyway." Priss' voice was devoid of emotion.  
  
"Don't worry Priss." Sylia searched for something comforting to add to that, "Don't worry Priss." Was all she could come up with.  
  
Long silence.  
  
"I'll make arrangements for Kail to come and stay with me." Sylia said after several moments.  
  
Priss' head shot up. She stared daggers at Sylia. "I will not let you brainwash him!" She growled.  
  
"Brainwash?" Sylia asked mildly.  
  
"Yes. Brainwash." Priss responded, "And manipulate, and abuse, and use for your own sick pleasure!"  
  
"You make me sound like some kind of paedophile!" Sylia growled back, trying to keep her temper.  
  
Priss turned her face away from Sylia's, once again staring at the ground. She stayed silent  
  
Sylia took a deep breath and steadied herself. "You can't leave him to fend for himself. Again." Sylia said coldly.  
  
"Tell him to go and stay with Linna. She won't mind." Priss said quietly.  
  
"As you wish." Sylia replied. "Priss-"  
  
"Goodbye, Sylia" Priss interrupted.  
  
And without another word Sylia turned and left.  
  
Priss sat in melancholy reflection. Part of her growled in rage, wanting to scream and howl and tear down the walls around her to free herself. Another part of her wanted nothing but to sink into the blackest despair, to hide from the world and problems. And yet there was still a part of her that was thinking rationally. /I have to get out of here, get my life back/ she thought angrily. /I've treated Kail so badly. I need to do something.mother-like. What the hell am I doing?/  
  
---  
  
"Uh. Hi" Kail said unenthusiastically.  
  
"Hi." Linna responded. "My name is Linna."  
  
"I know" Kail interrupted, "Sylia told me."  
  
Long silence.  
  
"This isn't awkward." Linna stated sarcastically, "Look, I know you're probably feeling really weird at the moment, and its kind of strange how you wound up living with me, but we might as well try and get along. You can come and go as you please, help yourself to the TV and contents of the fridge, if you wanna talk about anything I'm here, if not then do what you like."  
  
Kail stared at her, then nodded brusquely.  
  
"You can sleep in there." Linna said, pointing towards the only guest bedroom in her small but nice apartment.  
  
Kail started towards the open doorway.  
  
"We're all going to try and help Pr-" Linna faltered at the name, "help your mother get better." She finished.  
  
Kail looked at her curiously. Something here was not as it seemed. He may be young, but his trademark stoicism covered up the fact that he was really very perceptive. He turned and walked into the room, closing the door behind him, a thought formulating itself in his mind.  
  
---  
  
Kail tread quietly down the hall towards the kitchen. He paused as he passed Linna's door, he could hear the muffled sound of crying from inside. Her door was ajar and he silently peered inside. He saw Linna sitting on the edge of her bed, head in hands, her tears running down her arms onto her lap. He watched, silently, as she poured her heart out into her hands. She then became very still, took a deep, shuddering, breath. She looked at the wall across from her with red eyes and then violently hurled her pillow at it. "What am I doing?" she sighed to herself. She wiped her face on the back of her arm, straightened her shoulders and took a resolute breath. "Linna Yamazaki does not get put down by anything, or anyone. I'm fine. It's been this way for years." Suddenly her eyes widened and she turned to look sharply at the door. She saw Kail standing there, expressionless. "Kail-." she stuttered, "What-.is there something you wanted?"  
  
"Why are you crying?" he asked simply.  
  
"Everybody's got problems." Linna replied with a shrug.  
  
"Fair enough" Kail shrugged, "but I'm starting to think yours have something to do with me."  
  
"Maybe, maybe not," Linna replied quietly. She looked at him carefully, studying his shadowed profile and considering him deeply, "Are you sure you want to hear?" she said at last.  
  
Kail stood for a moment, considering. "Yes." He said finally, "But not now. The time will come." And with that he walked away, padding silently down the corridor to his room, leaving a slightly stupefied Linna behind him.  
  
/OK./ she thought to herself /That was odd. But he'll come to me when he wants to know, I think he should know everything, but only when he feels he's ready. It's a lot to take in. He should be able to handle it though, he has his mother's strength and a good deal more wisdom than she's ever had./ She slowly crawled back into bed, running over in her mind what she should say to him when the time comes. 


End file.
